“I’m pleased that even in these terrible economic times judges are getting raises that they so richly deserve, and I’m pleased that on April 1, New York state judges’ salaries will at least have some rational relationship to other states, to federal judges, to the private sector,” Lippman said in an interview with Gannett’s Albany bureau. “But at the same time, I’m disappointed that after 13 years without even a cost-of-living adjustment that judges didn’t get an even more significant raise.”

“I certainly acknowledge that 27.3 percent in these times is a very significant raise, but if you did adjust on a cost-of-living basis, we do think they should have gotten an even bigger raise,” he added.

Lippman also said he would have rather seen the full 27 percent raise implemented immediately, rather than annual raises spread out through April 2013.

Nevertheless, Lippman said he was pleased with the commission’s work, and didn’t fault any of the seven members for how they voted in today’s 4-3 tally on the pay hike. Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed three members to the commissioner, Lippman appointed two, and both the Senate and Assembly had one appointee.

“I think the process worked because it created a framework by which the three branches of government were really required to deal with this issue even in these economic times,” Lippman said. “I think we would all agree that with everything going on with the economy, if it wasn’t for that legislation that created the commission, no one would have this on their agenda for years.”

Vincent Doyle, president of the New York State Bar Association, said the raise doesn’t go far enough.

“During the past 12 years, the cost-of-living increased by 40 percent, eroding judicial salaries. Yet the commission voted to adjust judicial salaries by only 17 percent in 2012,” Doyle said in a statement. The panel’s decision raises judicial salaries by 17 percent in 2012 and five percent in each of the two following years.